“Sashenka,” Pela said, pointing at the sloping lid of the bureau.

“Sashenka,” echoed Olenka, peering suspiciously at Raj.

“One of their cats,” Annie explained.

“Cats are very cunning,” Raj said.

“When I come clean,” Pela explained, “in here he sneaks—Sashenka.”

Olenka was now staring at Raj with astonishment. “Cunning?”

Pela tugged Annie closer to the bureau. “There,” she insisted. “Look.”

“I can’t see a scratch,” Annie said.

Pela put her face right up to the wood.

“Could have been a hair,” Raj suggested. “If a hair gets on the surface it can look like a scratch.”

Olenka was still staring at Raj with amazement. “Take him out for run. I love the way they move, his rumps.” She opened out and see-sawed her little hands. “Is like ocean. Ocean used belong us.”

“Not ocean, lake,” Pela corrected.

“Lake belong us and we has servants belong us.”

“Olenka,” Pela cried out, as if something wonderful had just occurred to her, “why don’t we have tea?”

“We have to get going,” Annie softly protested, but Olenka hurried out and Pela dragged Annie over to the davenport and almost pushed her down. Pela gestured for Raj, who also sat. A second later Olenka reentered with a tray of tea things that had clearly been at the ready.

Pela opened the display cabinet. Carefully she unwrapped and stood up each of the objects, which were figurines: a half-broken Humpty Dumpty, a King Charles spaniel, and a little black boy in a turban. On the top shelf she unwrapped and stood up a large horse.

“Has you seen our horse?” Olenka said.

“Very nice,” Raj said.

Olenka smiled, tipping her head like a bashful little girl.

Annie was trying to keep from laughing.

“How is Lew?” Pela asked with concern. “How our grandson?”

“Good,” Annie said.

“Tell him come visit. His mama, we have picture. We show him.”

Annie nodded. This made her a little sad.

The tea was cold and milky, the assortment of cookies utterly stale—the same plate of cookies they had kept at the ready for years.

After just a couple of minutes, Pela said, “We need show this boy something.” Snatching his hand up, Pela led him out. Annie followed with Olenka as Pela pulled Raj through the crowded and filthy kitchen, in which the two old women essentially lived, into the garden. In a pile, just a few yards from the back door, were dozens of granite rocks, the smallest the size of a bowling ball.

Pela took him right up to the pile, still holding his hand. Olenka hurried to secure his other.

“You see,” Pela explained, “rocks here from old wall. Man he going throw them. We want rocks out at pond.” She pointed toward the back of the long garden.

“Has you seen our horse?” Olenka said.

“I saw it. Beautiful horse,” Raj replied.

“So how you think”—Pela stared intensely at Raj—“we get rocks from here to pond?”

“Well…” Raj said.